Sharing & Beguin Yards

Sharing & Beguin Yards

Week 1: A brief history of economic analysis and natural variability of climate – Modelling Time

In this first session, we will discuss how we define economics and what the likely challenges to analyzing economic events and phenomena in the past are. We will bring attention to the complex relationships in the evolution of economic theory (for explanation and understanding) and method (for analysis and evidence collection) in economics and how economic history, as a discipline, could bridge the gap in understanding the processes of economic change.

Week 2: Changing Attitudes to the Environment

The section combines long-term changes in attitudes towards and perceptions of the environment and its behavior. Analysis of the perception of environmental problems is an essential part of understanding how environmental issues arise and how solutions may emerge. Contemporary examples are sought and interpreted by the students.

Week 3: Back to the monasteries sharing economy?

Monastic communities in medieval Europe organized their economic activities by applying the basic principles of today’s sharing economy models. Students will analyze the similarities and differences between cooperatives, commons-based peer production, and the circular economy and assess their potential for contemporary sustainability challenges, such as reducing resource consumption, promoting social equity, and fostering community resilience.

Week 4: Alternative currencies in history

Students will explore the historical use of alternative currencies, such as local, complementary, and digital currencies, and evaluate their potential to promote sustainable development. Students will analyze the Wörgl experiment, a local currency project implemented in Austria during the Great Depression, and its implications for monetary policy and sustainable development, such as reducing dependence on fossil fuels, promoting social equity, and fostering community resilience.

Week 5 – Path Dependence and housing?

A way to approach historical research by social scientists is by identifying trajectories and paths of transformation and discussing the causes. This week, we will discuss the different understandings of path dependence and how these affect our interpretation of historical change. Students will analyze the Fugger family’s social housing policies and their impact on housing affordability and the quality of life for their workers. Students will compare Fugger city with contemporary social housing models, such as public housing, community land trusts, and social impact investing, and evaluate their potential to promote sustainable urban development.

Week 6: Migration as the norm to deal with climate change

Mitigation and adaptation are the main strategies to deal with climate change. However, historically migration has been the norm. Political boundaries did not exist, and people could move freely.Today, political boundaries reduce the movement of people. Still, as global warming continues, failed climate negotiations, and the growing aging population in the Global North, the world will have to start thinking about the global labor market.

Week 7: What can we learn from (economic) history?

In the concluding session, we discuss how (economic) historical research can have an impact, particularly if it can inform policy. Path dependencies, as discussed last week, are linked to institutional analysis. Consequently, we focus on cumulative change. How can it be analyzed in environmental history? Is environmental history an alternative to understanding economic changes over time? How does this approach relate to cumulative changes?

Week 8: E-book

The course concludes with students connecting each case study to a current sustainability topic. Evaluation relies on the written work of the students. The students must work together to ensure each contribution fits into an overall theme. The resulting cohesive book will be published online and accessible to the public for free.